Joey Payeur
The Muskie senior boys’ volleyball team got to star in its own version of “The Walking Dead.”
Before it was over, the squad’s season was “Six Feet Under,” as well.
It was an unfortunate ending to what had been a memorable season for the NorWOSSA champs, who were unable to defend their NWOSSAA crown from last season in getting swept 2-0 over the weekend by the host Churchill Trojans (Thunder Bay).
The Trojans now advance to the OFSAA ‘AA’ championship in Kenora, which begins tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a Muskie that went undefeated to capture its first NorWOSSA title since 1999 is left to dream about what might have been had they had more time to actually dream in the comfort of their own beds.
The team’s difficulties began Friday when they rented vans from a local business to travel to Thunder Bay.
“We were actually on our way out of town in the vans, and then we got called to turn around and go back to the school because we weren’t allowed to drive the vans because they didn’t have winter tires,” recalled head coach Shana Windigo.
“It was mainly a weather issue,” explained Fort High principal Peg Keffer.
“We have to ensure our students are transported in a safe manner,” she stressed.
The squad, which had booked a bus out of International Falls, as well as rented vans, for previous road trips this season, waited all day to see if a bus and a driver could be found—to no avail.
“We didn’t [think we’d] need to book a bus [ahead of time] because we had vans that we thought would be good,” Windigo reasoned.
A team official with the Trojans then reportedly tried to personally line up a bus himself for the Muskies to make the trip, but that option also was nixed.
In the end, Fort High was forced to default the first match of the best-of-three NWOSSAA series.
That’s because the Trojans didn’t support the idea of playing three matches in one day due to the increased risk of injury to players with the OFSAA tourney just around the corner.
Churchill tried to accommodate the situation by proposing that Game 3, if necessary, be played on Sunday.
But that idea fell outside OFSAA rules, which prohibit teams from extending their regional series past the traditional Saturday finish.
All that was left for the Muskies to do was get up in the wee hours of Saturday morning to catch the 5 a.m. bus that was lined up for them.
The weary squad still managed to rub enough sleep out of their eyes to give the Thunder Bay champs all they could handle in Game 2 of the series.
Churchill squeezed out wins of 25-22 and 26-24 in the first two sets before the Muskies hit full stride and rolled over the Trojans 25-10 in the third one.
But a potent Churchill team, combined with what had to be a physically-drained Muskie group, was enough to push the Trojans to a 25-22 win in the fourth set to capture the best-of-five match 3-1.
“Yeah, I think we would be heading to OFSAA if things would have played out differently,” said Windigo, who volunteered to coach the team just two days before the NorWOSSA regular season was set to begin.
“I think that having to wake up super early, driving in a school bus all morning, and playing right away affected the boys,” she noted.
“It’s unfortunate that we had to forfeit our game on Friday because we didn’t even have a chance to come back after losing the first [match] Saturday.”
Windigo said the Trojans employed an efficient tip game at the net that her squad couldn’t quite solve while the Muskies themselves got in trouble with multiple double-hit violations.
“But we were serving good and passing good,” she remarked.
“I really wish we would have been able to go [to OFSAA],” Windigo added ruefully.
“This season was pretty great,” she noted. “I got to coach and watch some of my really good friends this season.
“They made me really proud to be their coach.”
Windigo, meanwhile, was uncertain about her status with the team for next season.
“I guess we’ll see what happens when the time comes,” she said.
